UNIVERSITY CITY  A two-hour standoff at an apartment complex adjacent to a University City mall packed with holiday shoppers ended peacefully Friday night when a domestic violence suspect surrendered to SWAT officers, San Diego police said.

Police began responding to the ground-floor unit at the Torrey Pines Village complex, next to Westfield UTC, about 4 p.m. after the man told a relative that he had either killed or was planning to kill his girlfriend, police Lt. Kevin Mayer said. He also made threats that he would hurt or kill law enforcement officers. The relative notified police.

The man and his girlfriend, both 29 years old, live together in the apartment, Mayer said.

Police were able to determine that the man had access to a large number of weapons, so a SWAT team was called, Mayer said. SWAT and other police officers quickly arrived from all over the city, Mayer said. Several SWAT officers put on their tactical gear in the parking lot of the mall adjacent to Macy's and a Red Robin restaurant.

A police helicopter and canine units also were called. Some neighboring units were evacuated as officers surrounded the complex, on Lombard Place near Nobel Drive. Some residents were told to shelter in place.

Police were able to locate the girlfriend safe on the grounds of the complex, Mayer said. Negotiators spoke with the man and got him to surrender. He walked out and did not have any weapons on him, Mayer said.

The man, later identified as Eric Russell Beardsley, was booked into San Diego central jail about 11:30 p.m. on suspicion of assault with a firearm and making criminal threats. Officers found firearms and ammunition in the apartment and firearms in his vehicle, which was parked at the complex, Mayer said.

Rolando Matias lives in a building nearby. His wife was home alone at the time and was told to stay inside. He was grateful the incident ended peacefully. "I was very happy my wife was safe," he said.